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Ecologically Embedded Design in Manufacturing: Legitimation within Circular Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Hana Trollman

    (Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK)

  • James Colwill

    (Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK)

  • Alan Brejnholt

    (Institute for International Management, Loughborough University London, London E15 2GZ, UK)

Abstract

Circular economy has gained momentum since the 1970s as a regenerative alternative to the traditional linear economy. However, as the circular economy has gone mainstream, circularity claims have become fragmented and remote, consisting of indirect contributions, such as the life extension of other products and the use of waste as feedstock, without addressing the actual cause of waste. The present study aims to identify the strategic motivations of manufacturers participating in the circular economy and the corresponding relationship to ecological embeddedness. This paper explores the circular economy in manufacturing through existing products on the market and their relationship to eco-design by considering the product, packaging, and its production. Legitimacy is found to be a decisive factor in whether the type of circular economy strategy manufacturers adopt yields ecological benefits. The results from the case study of products clearly indicate the superiority of ecological embeddedness, as a form of circularity supporting strong sustainability. Finally, a novel template is proposed to support the implementation of ecological embeddedness in manufacturing.

Suggested Citation

  • Hana Trollman & James Colwill & Alan Brejnholt, 2020. "Ecologically Embedded Design in Manufacturing: Legitimation within Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4261-:d:361663
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hana Trollman & James Colwill, 2021. "The imperative of embedding sustainability in business: A model for transformational sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 974-986, September.
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    3. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Bazilian, Morgan & Griffiths, Steve & Kim, Jinsoo & Foley, Aoife & Rooney, David, 2021. "Decarbonizing the food and beverages industry: A critical and systematic review of developments, sociotechnical systems and policy options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    4. Hana Trollman & Guillermo Garcia-Garcia & Sandeep Jagtap & Frank Trollman, 2022. "Blockchain for Ecologically Embedded Coffee Supply Chains," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-17, June.
    5. Marzena Smol & Joanna Duda & Agnieszka Czaplicka-Kotas & Dominika Szołdrowska, 2020. "Transformation towards Circular Economy (CE) in Municipal Waste Management System: Model Solutions for Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-25, June.
    6. Hana Trollman & James Colwill & Sandeep Jagtap, 2021. "A Circularity Indicator Tool for Measuring the Ecological Embeddedness of Manufacturing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-23, August.
    7. Hana Trollman & Sandeep Jagtap & Frank Trollman, 2023. "Crowdsourcing food security: introducing food choice derivatives for sustainability," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(4), pages 953-965, August.

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